Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-08-29
SANTA BARBARA.

SANTA BARBARA.
Its Features of Excellence and
Rare beauty.
A trip to Santa Barbara is always
interesting but when made in less
than half day it ceases to be tire
some. The old stage line ride was
always wearisome, and the trip by
steamer was sometimes interfered
with by fog, but the trip by rail
through the long line of new born
towns, Tropico, Burbank, Dundee,
Pacoima, Fernando, Fillmore and
others is full Of interest, cheering
with signs of progress, and through
land of richness without end.
From San Buenaventura to Santa
Barbara the railway is laid near
Nv all by the side of the
great placid waters of Santa
Barbara bay that are protected
from wild dashing by the great islands,
Santa Inez, Santa Barbara, Santa
Rosa and San Miguel.
1t is seldom that so smooth sea is
found as the charming Bay of Santa
Barbara. 1t is idle there to ask
"what are the wild waves saying"
for unless in storm they are saying
nothing. During the most of the dis
tance the shore is bold and well
bouldered, with an occasional green
low meadow of salt marsh, with inlets
for fishing smacks, where the waters
"sigh in sedges on the edges Of the
shining summer sea"
The first burst of richness OF the
opulent soil is on arrival at Carpin-
terra, where nature and human in
dustry have contrived to make a val
ley OF beauty, filled with homes of
comfort and elegance. The val
ley is one vast garden OF
fruits and flowers, and shows pros
perity i'm all its features. The pleas
ure OF viewing Carpinteria is only an
introduction to the charming delights
of Montecito with its parks of pictur-
esaue oaks, its beautiful flowers of
every hue, and its lovely streets and
drives. Its mountain boundaries are
lofty and picturesque, and protect this
lovely spot from all rude storms OF
wind.
Just beyond Montecito the towers
and spires of Santa Barbara stand out
in prominence on grand slope that
extends from the ocean to the Santa
Inez mountains. The situation is ad-
mirable for drainage and for archi-
tectural effects, as street after
street rise one above another Civ
ing leach a fine and noble outlook.
The principle street, is ornamented
with some excellent buildings the
leading structures being the Airing
ton, the San Marcos, the Commercial
and the Morris House.
The city contains about 1000 inhabi-
tants and is well supplied with schools,
churches, public library, Horticul-
tural Society, a Natural History and
an Agricultural Society. The town is
lighted with electricity and also by
ga :. and has te G. Eo1e company and
Board of Trade. A sewer is laid
from the Arlington down to the bay.
The churches are the grand old Mis-
sion that overlooks the greater
rart of the town, the Bap-
tist, Congregationalist, Methodist,
Presbyterian, Episcopal, and Unita-
rian. The Union Club has handsome
rooms over the First National Bank
with fine reading room. There are
.alse iourishing societies of Masons,
Odd Fellows, a post Of the G.. A. Il.
and a Woman's Relief Corps.
Santa Barbara is noted for its beau
tiful ladies and the large number Of
equestriennes among that may be
seen on almost any day galloping over
the beautiful roads and through the
romantic caiions. These cai1ons
are: Franklin, Dinsmore, Hot
Spring. Cold Spring, Sycamore,
Mission, Seven Falls, Tebbetts, Arroyo
Burro, Cathedral Oaks, San Jose,
Smiths, Bartlett's, Glen Annie,
Cooper's, Winchester's Tecolote and
Ell Captain. These furnish more
charming places for rides and ram
bles than are to be found around any
other city in this part of the State.
In fact Santa Barbara is rich in cafions.
The beach is also broad and smooth,
and at low water is most delightful
drive. Old residents claim fifty
cations radiating from the valley OF
Santa Barbara, all OF which are well
suited for rambles, and many of them
stocked with game.
The principal thing in which the
city is behind others is in the matter
of sidewalks. Long lines of old plank
sidewalks still deface the beauty Of
Main street, and are nuisance to
travel upon, but a movement has been
inaugurated to replace them by
cement or asphalt walks OF substan-
tial character.
1t seems also an oversight on the
part OF property holders to retain the
miserable little one-story buildings oi
wood in the most valuable part ol
Main street. Nearly all the fine
buildings are being erected high up the
mesa, to which an excellent street
railway leads. Two other street rail.
ways are in contemplation, one ol
which will lead to the elegant depot
which the Southern Pacific railway
will erect in the south part OF town.
In the matter of hotels, Santa Bar
bara leads all others of its size on the
coast and sets noble example t.
other towns to do likewise.
The people are intelligent, highl,
educated in the languages, hospitabl'
and a remarkable example Of a peac,
andsorder-loving community. On th,
whole the place is delightful and if i
were not for the more beautiful town
in Los Angeles and San Bernardin
counties it would be pre-eminentl
beautiful. 1t is to be hoped that tn
rose-crowned city will increase i
beauty in the future as in the pas
and remain a princess if not quee